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The Phan Rang banh can in Saigon is not made in a clay oven with coal but in a stainless steel oven with round holes, with 16 clay banh can molds on top; what’s more special is that underneath is a gas oven. The shop owner explained to me that this is necessary to meet the large number of customers, if it were made in clay molds like in Nha Trang or Phan Rang, it would not be enough.
To me, Nha Trang and Phan Rang banh can are exactly the same. In Phan Thiet, banh can has many more fillings such as: braised mackerel, boiled eggs, pork skin... not suitable for those who like to eat Nha Trang banh can simply with eggs or squid, shrimp, beef and eaten with chili garlic fish sauce, scallion oil, with meatballs or fish sauce depending on the restaurant. Phan Rang banh can is the same in terms of deliciousness and the state of the baked flour, eggs, scallion oil, fish sauce is almost the same. In terms of presentation, Phan Rang banh can is smeared with scallion oil and topped with chopped mango. For Nha Trang banh can addicts like me, this way of eating is not "cool". Scallion oil must be put in a bowl of thick fish sauce, minced mango must also be put in fish sauce, crushed with Siamese chili, add meatballs and it is wonderful!
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Suddenly remembering the time of social distancing due to the Covid-19 epidemic, I ordered a banh can oven, hoping that when I had free time, the whole family would have memories of gathering around the banh can oven to make banh can. However, the banh can dish was only made once. Living in an apartment, it was inconvenient to light a charcoal stove because of the smoke rising up, and I was afraid the fire alarm would go off. I then gave the banh can oven to a friend's family.
During my culinary “fieldwork”, I found that Phan Rang and Nha Trang have similar dishes. For example, I especially like the fish noodle soup in Phan Rang that I ate once, it was very tasty. Also being a coastal region, the cooking method is the same, the fish is delicious and flavorful, and the fish cake is as fragrant as Nha Trang fish cake.
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Now, when the culinary map is no longer limited to regions, in Saigon I see many Phan Rang banh can shops or in Lai Thieu, there is a famous shop selling banh can, banh xeo, and Phan Rang fish noodles. I ate it once and found it quite delicious. The deliciousness probably also satisfies my longing for Nha Trang and home.
Rainy day in Saigon, tiptoeing across the street to buy a banh can. Sitting waiting for the shop owner to make the banh can, the aroma of the baked dough wafting up made me miss home so much. And I felt so lucky that just 100m from home, walking down the street I could satisfy my longing for Nha Trang, satisfy my craving for my favorite dish, a very familiar dish of Nha Trang people, when away I miss it.
KIM DUY
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/doi-song/am-thuc/202507/an-cai-banh-can-o-sai-gon-49c24b8/
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